The Advent Calendar - Pt. 16

 

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:1-6 ESV).

 

I continue to be amazed, even after half a century, that God does just the right thing at just the right time. I suppose that’s more of an indictment on my faith than it is a statement of the greatness of our God, but there it is! I am a bit surprised by the fact that in this year of so much uncertainty and challenge God has chosen to reveal the Christmas Star again. For the first time since the year 1226, an extremely rare phenomenon will be visible in the night sky on December 21^st. The planets of Jupiter and Saturn will align so closely together that they’ll appear as one brilliant point of radiating light, creating what has come to be known as the “Star of Bethlehem” or the “Christmas Star.” Nearly 800 years ago on March 4, 1226, the same bright phenomena occurred with a close alignment of planets. Not since then has something as brilliant as the 2020 Christmas Star appeared.  A similar event won’t occur again until March of 2080.

 

According to the Bible, the Magi used the light of this unique star phenomena in the night sky to guide them on their journey to give baby Jesus presents in what’s known as the first Christmas. Astronomers believe the star they used was a Great Conjunction too. The peak of this phenomena arrives on December 21 which is also the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. On the winter solstice, the planets will appear just 1/10th of a degree apart, which according to NASA, is the equivalent of a dime held at an arm’s length.

 

However, it is the timing of the 2020 Christmas Star that intrigues me. Remember the first Great Conjunction (as the scientist like to call it). This was the guiding light to bring these “wisemen” to Jesus to bestow gifts in homage of this great King. I’ll be focusing our attention on the meaning of this event over the next few days; however, can I draw your attention to the hope it can bring today. When God fulfilled His promise of redemption that night, it was a clear signal that we are not hopeless in the face of any circumstance. We have Jesus! I hope you’ll spend a bit of time on December 21^st looking to the sky, remembering the reason why we call this season “Christmas.”